- Date
- April 15, 1990, 16:05 local (21:05 UTC)
- Place
- Junction, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9138FHughes 369HS
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 23121
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot in command's inadequate execution of the autorotation following a engine failure which resulted from his failure to refuel the aircraft with the proper grade of fuel when he ran short during the flight.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The aircraft landed hard and rolled over during a forced landing after an engine flameout and autorotation. The pilot had flight planned the ferry flight for a distance of 162 NM instead of the actual 258 NM. No weather briefing was obtained prior to departure. During the flight he encountered fog and low ceilings which required a precautionary landing. After the fog cleared, he took off, flew around for 20 minutes, and proceeded on course. However, the pilot encountered head winds and was forced to stop and add fuel at local ranches twice. At the first, he fueled with a mixture of diesel and autogas and at the second he fueled with autogas only. After takeoff from the second refueling site, the engine flamed out at about 200' AGL. Fuel samples taken from the aircraft were found to be 10% jet-a and 90% autogas, not the 2:1 ratio of jet-a autogas specified in the engine maintenance manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9138F
- Reported as
- Hughes 369HS
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 330458S
- Airframe hours
- 10,242
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20, 460 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Neveri, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Neveri Fishing Co., Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · March 9, 1990 · 38 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- Destination
- JCT · Junction, TX
- Airport
- NONE · Private
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,081 total · 1,907 in this make and model · 2,026 as pilot in command · 238 in the last 90 days · 34 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F
Other investigations on N9138F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.